Driving Your Vehicle
6-20
BRAKING SYSTEM
Power-Assist Brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes 
that adjust automatically through normal 
usage.
If the engine is not running or is turned 
off while driving, the power assist for 
the brakes will not work. You can still 
stop your vehicle by applying greater 
force to the brake pedal than typical. 
The stopping distance, however, will be 
longer than with power brakes.
When the engine is not running, the 
reserve brake power is partially depleted 
each time the brake pedal is applied. 
Do not pump the brake pedal when the 
power assist has been interrupted.
 WARNING
Take the following precautions:
ś Do not drive with your foot resting 
on the brake pedal. This will create 
abnormal high brake temperatures, 
excessive brake lining and pad wear, 
and increased stopping distances.
ś When descending down a long or 
steep hill, use the paddle shifter 
and manually downshift to a 
lower gear in order to control your 
speed without using the brake 
pedal excessively. Applying the 
brakes continuously will cause 
the brakes to overheat and could 
result in a temporary loss of braking 
performance.
ś Wet brakes may impair the vehicle's 
ability to safely slow down; the 
vehicle may also pull to one side 
when the brakes are applied. 
Applying the brakes lightly will 
indicate whether they have been 
affected in this way. Always test your 
brakes in this fashion after driving 
through deep water. To dry the 
brakes, lightly tap the brake pedal to 
heat up the brakes while maintaining 
a safe forward speed until brake 
performance returns to normal. 
Avoid driving at high speeds until the 
brakes function correctly.